Container closure



JQM. Ho'rHERsALL CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Feu. 2o, 1931 I vVENTORATTORNEY/ Patented Nov. 27, 19.34

CONTAINER CLOSUBE John M. Hotliersall, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor toAmerican Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New JerseyApplication February 20, 1931, Serial No. 517,245 Claims. (Cl. 22o-53)The present invention relates in general to containers and moreparticularly to improved closures therefor which may be easily appliedto provide a tight seal and which may be readily opened by 5 removal ofa tearing strip, after which the closure may be reapplied andinterlocked in reclosure position.

The principal, object of the present invention is the provision of acontainer closure which is applied to the container to effect anhermetic seal and after opening acts as a reclosure capable of providinga substantially tight seal.

An important object of the invention is the provision of acontainerhaving a closure member applied thereto .in an hermetic seal which iseasily broken by removal of a tearing strip leaving a part which isadapted for interlocking engagement with the container as a reclosure.

An important object of the invention isl the v provision of such acontainer having a closure member forming an hermetic seal and oneeasily opened by .removal of a tearing strip formed in the closuremember after which the latter is adapted for threaded engagement withthe container to provide a sealing reclosure.

Numerous other objects of the invention will be apparent as it is betterunderstood from the following description, which, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of a container and cover embodying thepresent invention, these parts being shown in separated position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of the upper part of thecontainer body and the cover member, showing the parts ininitialassembled position;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, illustrating the container and coverin fully closed position;

Fig. 4 1s a view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating the cover 'detachedfrom. the container by removal of the tearing strip; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating cover and container inlocked and reclosure position.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention.- thevdrawing discloses a container body 11 having-a side seam 12 and a bottomend 13. The top of the container is adapted to be closed by a cover ortop closure member 14 which is assembled with the container in sealingposition by means of a drive nt. 'I'he upper part of' the body 11 isreduced or bent inwardly at 15 to provide a vertical wall 16 which formsan annular neck for the container. The lwall 16 terminates in aninwardly curled edge 17.

The cover member may be formed with a sunken panel 18 joined by avertical Wall 19 to a rounded semi-circular wall 20 merging exteriorlyinto av 50 downwardly depending skirtl or flange 21 having an integraltongue extension 22 (Fig. 1). The walls 20, 19, -21 enclose an annularchannel 23 in which is preferably located a gasket or lining compound24. 55

The depending flange 21 is provided on its inner surfacewith acircumferentially extending score line 25 spaced from the lower edge ofthe wall 21, this score line setting olf a tearing strip 26 from whichdepends the tongue 22. The body wall 11, directly beneath the bend 1-5thereof, is accurately sized during its manufacture to provide a sealingarea 27 having a predetermined diameter.

The flange 2l-ofthe cover member, above the score line 25, is pressedinwardly or beaded at spaced intervals around its circumference toprovide interrupted threads 28 (Figs. 1 and 2) which are disposed ataslight angle to the scoreline 25.

In similar manner the neck or reduced part 16 fof the container body ispressed outwardly or beaded at spaced intervals (see` also Fig. 5) toprovide interrupted threads 31 which are disposed, relative to the uppercurled edge 17 at an angle similar to the angle of the threads 28.

When thevtop of the container is to be closed, the cover member 14 isplaced over the open end l of the body with the lower edge of thedependling fia-nge 21 touching the upper sealing area 27 adjacent theinward bend 15, as illustrated in Fig. 2. At this time the threads 23 ofthe cover are 90 arranged vertically out of alignment or spaced betweenthe threads 3l as disclosed in Fig. 1. The cover is thenforced or drivenhome into which position (Fig. 3) the tearing strip area 26, in thelower section of the flange 21 of the cover, is 95 brought into sealingcontact with the sealing area 27 of the container body.

Considerable pressure is exerted in the closing of a container of thistype, the area 26 of the cover being forced or stretched sufficientlywithin its 10G elastic limits to tightly embrace the sealing area 27. ofthe container. To provide this tight seal the inner diameter of theflange 2l of the cover member 14, adjacent the tearing strip area 26, isof a predetermined dimension being smaller in diameter than the outerdiameter of the 'sealing area 27 of the container body. y l A tightmetal-to-metal seal is created between the body and the'cover by theassembling of parts just described. This closure is made hermetic eil -tages, the form hereinbefore described being' il t when desired by theembedding of the curled edge 17 of the body 11 into the gasket material24 in the cover channel 23, as shown in Fig. 3. This lining compound orgasket is squeezed and changed in shape by the sealing operation so thatit accurately adapts itself to the adjacent surfaces of the containerand cover making `the closure seal both liquid and air-tight.

The cover 14 may be conveniently removed and the container opened by atearing away of the tearing strip area 26 of the cover flange. To effectthis opening the tearing tongue 22 is engaged by a slotted key 32. Sucha key may be conveniently and removably secured within the panel 18 ofthe cover member in any usual and preferred manner. The tearing strip 26is first torn across its width adjacent ,the tongue 22 and thencesevered from the cover member 14 by a tearing along the score line 25,the tearing strip being rolled upon the key 32 during this openingoperation.

If desired the wall of the ange 21 of the cover member may be anintegral part of the can body and the spaced wall 16 of the body may bea part of a separate member disposed inside of the can body. In such aconstruction the can at its upper part would consist of two plies ofmetal, i. e. the outer wall 21 and the inner 4spaced wall 16.

When the container has been opened by the removal of the tearing strip,the cover member 14 (Fig. 4) rests loosely in position and can be liftedo to gain access to the container contents. Afterwards it may bereplaced on the container and used as a reclosure. In such a reclosureuse the cover is rotated relative to the container body until itsinclined threads 28 engage beneath the threads 31 of the body.

The rotation tightly interlocks the cover with the container as shown inFig. 5. In reclosed position the upper curled edge 17 of the body 11 isagain embedded in the seat of the gasket 24 and a substantially tightseal results. A reversed rotation of the' cover disengages theinterlocked threads after which it may be lifted off to again open thecontainer.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from "the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in-the form, construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advanmerely a preferredembodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a sheet metal container, a container body having a sealingperipheral area of predetermined diameter, a cover for said containerhaving a depending flange forming a peripheral sealing area ofpredetermined smaller diameter than said sealing area of the body, thesaid .sealing areas of the body and cover being straight in a verticaldirection, so they may have a tight slipiit, a portion of said angebeing set olf as a tearing strip, said flange including the tearingstrip being adapted to be stretched within the limits of its elasticityby forcing the same over said sealing area of the body to form a'tightseal therewith, said cover being permanently secured to the body byfriction until the tearing strip is removed, and means formed in saidbody and said cover for providing an interlocking engagementtherebetween after the removal of said tearing strip.

2. In a. sheet metal container, a container mense-1 body having asealing peripheral area of predetermined diameter and a reduced partabove said area, a cover for said container having a depending angeforming a peripheral sealing area of predetermined smaller diameter thansaid sealing area of the body and having a score line deiining a tearingstrip, said fiange being adapted to be stretched within the limits ofits elasticity by forcing the same over said area to form a tight sealwhich is adapted to be severed along said score line to open saidcontainer, said reduced body part being formed with outwardly projectingthread parts, and said cover flange above its tearing strip being formedwith inwardly projecting thread parts adapted to interlock with thethread parts of said body after opening of the container, said partsbeing arranged to permit the forcing of the cover and tearing strip overthe body.

3. In a sheet metal container, a container body having an annularsealing peripheral area of predetermined diameter and a reduced neckportion above said area terminating in a rounded curled top, a drawncover having an annular channel for the reception of a gasket and alsohaving a depending flange forming a peripheral sealing area ofpredetermined diameter less than the diameter of said sealing area ofthe body and containing a score line defining a tearing strip, said angebeing adapted to be stretched within the limits of its elasticityby'forcing the same over said area to form a tight seal therewith, andthreaded means effective after the removal of said tearing strip andformed in said neck portion of said body and in said cover fiange toforce the said gasket into engagement with the said body curl andprovidel a sealing removable closure for the container, said threadedmeans being arranged to permit the direct forcing of the cover andtearing strip over and around the body.

4. A can having two plies of metal extending circumferentially around itat the top, said plies being separate and engaged tightly with eachother throughout an encircling zone, by contraction of the inner ply andcorresponding stretching of the outer ply, and provided with screwthread parts adapted for interengagement after a portion of the outerply has been removed, the outer of said plies being provided with ascore line setting off a tearing strip beneath said screw thread partsand above said zone of ply engagement, the tearing strip being below`said screw thread parts and in a stretched condition around the innerply.

5. In a sheet metal container, a container body e depending flangeforming a peripheral sealing area of predetermined smaller diameter thansaid sealing area of the body, a portion of said flange being set off asa tearing strip, said flange including the tearing stripA being adaptedto be stretched within the limits of its elasticity by forcing the sameover said sealing area of the body to form a tight seal therewith, saidcover being permanently secured to the body by friction until thetearing strip is removed, and spacedapart projections on the body andcover, for providing an interlocking engagement therebetween after theremoval of the tearing strip, the proj ections of the cover beingarranged out of line with the projections of the body when said sealingareas are interengaged.

JOHN M. HOTHERSALL.

